My book can now be purchased on Amazon.com! Having worked on this the past few months, I’m thrilled to make my book available for those outside of the Philippines who have asked how they can get their copy. Thanks for your patience, and I’m thankful that the book made it just in time for the holidays! I think it’s a great gift to give the food lover who has everything.

Here’s the link to the book’s product description on Amazon, and if you already have the book, I’m inviting you to write a review.

The shoot for Appetite magazine was held at dusk on a very special day for me. Frenzy was about to descend. For a snatch of time however, I stole away with editor-in chief Nina Daza Puyat and Deputy Editor Migs Borja-Yambao for conversation and laughter. We had a lot of fun, very few photos needed to be taken, and before I knew it, the shoot was over.

Both Migs and Nina know me well and I’m absolutely thrilled with how the feature turned out. Aside from the most appropriate title, “Her Just Desserts” – I love it! – Migs was the one steering the interview and his insightful questions, I feel, show a side of my life that only a few people know about.

Thank you so much Appetite magazine for such a memorable shoot and feature in your magazine!

Anna Gamboa Gan also pens an article about me for Moms Today magazine. Because Anna is the editor of my book and was with me since its inception, only she was privy to certain details about the book and what I went through to get it done. Her astuteness is remarkable and it shows in the article. Plus, the addition of that photo taken in the basement is truly precious! Heartfelt thanks, Anna!

Warmly inviting you to grab the October issues of both magazines available now at all newsstands and bookstores.

Infinite thanks to Appetite Magazine and Moms Today for making it an awesome October for me!

I doubt my ability to describe just how much my readers and fans mean to me. Ever since September 5, I’ve been contacted via all mediums by people who tell me that they’ve been reading DCF for years and that – finally! – I had come out with a book. I was tagged on my Instagram and Twitter feeds, and I saw photos of my book skillfully styled with The Lori Sundae from BONO Gelato or the Dessert Comes First cupcake from Cupcakes by Sonja. There were also many “selfies” with the book and plenty of messages from people who had tried the various recipes in it or just wanted to express their sentiments.

I love hearing from my readers but there’s nothing quite like meeting them. People who read DCF are an energetic, exuberant and HUNGRY lot and that’s what the crowd was like last September 21 during Dessert Comes First Fans’ Day. There was much to eat, many books that were signed, a few tears shed, but most of all, there was a love for food and people who are linked because of it.

My heart is fat and full with the outpouring of appreciation shown to me. In private, I have wept a few times because I’m so taken by people – YOU – who have read the blog, bought the book, made the recipes, come to my events, emailed/tweeted/Instagrammed/tagged me … the list is endless and so is my gratitude.

So, in supreme thanks, I dedicate this video to YOU, the Readers & Fans of Dessert Comes First, the blog and the book. You are my rock stars and I wouldn’t be where I am without you.

Thank you to everyone who was part of the Dessert Comes First Fans’ Day, everyone from my sponsors to my purveyors to my guests, and of course to Fully Booked.

Enjoy the video, a remarkable retelling produced by my exceptional video crew led by Bong Fernandez of BongVideos. The video will stream in HD from this website but if you prefer more viewing options, click here to be redirected to Vimeo.

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The following are blog posts by my reader-guests. Thank you for sharing your experience and words with me. If I missed your blog post about the event, please let me know and I’ll happily add your link here.

It was my first time in the Fully Booked store in Alabang, a gorgeous structure geared for lovers of books. Situated off to the corner, in a space that’s as much a seduction as it is a sanctuary for the senses, is Press Café. It’s the venue where this video was shot, a video where I talk about my book, why I was hesitant to include my cheesecake recipe, and where I gush about my love for beef cheeks and banoffee pie (the recipes of which are included in my book).

Massive thanks to Kayo and Kiddo Cosio of Honeycomb Communities for producing this video. (YouTube link here). They did a bang-up job of firing me up and keeping me talking. And of course, my eternal gratitude to Fully Booked who has been behind me all the way.

How much do I love dessert? This video captures my passion pretty well.

Sonja Ocampo is recognized as the visionary who opened Manila’s first cupcake store, Cupcakes by Sonja (CBS). Before its September 2006 debut date years ago, she asked me if I could help spread the word about her little cakes. “Cupcakes aren’t so popular yet,” she wrote,” and you really seem to like dessert.”

At that time, Dessert Comes First (DCF) was just over a year old and in the years that followed, Sonja and I developed a firm friendship. Both of our babies – my blog, her store – were close in age, and we had long conversations about how to make the concepts of cupcakes and blogging more familiar to people. (Remember that this was in 2006 when both were relatively uncommon).

Fast forward to 2013, when after almost seven years of a single store in Serendra, Sonja opened her second, this time in Glorietta. Cupcake-crazed fans everywhere celebrated her delicious victory. I, for one, got so excited that I showcased Sonja’s new store and design in a podcast.

Sonja is one of my most ardent supporters and I cherish her. When she found out that my book was to be released on September 5, just a few days shy of her stores’ seventh anniversary on September 8, she decided to dedicate a cupcake to me. She asked, “Lori, what are your favorite flavors?”, and proceeded to read several DCF posts, simultaneously searching and savoring, the tastes that I love.

So today, I beam with pride and am infinitely honored to present the:

Dessert Comes First Cupcake

This is Sonja’s gift to me in celebration of my book, and to my readers who love dessert.

This cupcake references peanut butter, my forever-favorite, with my current love for cookie butter. A lush, yellow cake is the canvas in which these two butters – peanut and cookie – combine, a marbling that merges in the mouth and melds into the mind. A bite into buttery bliss surrenders a center of speculoos ganache, a nugget of nirvana. This is my cupcake fantasy fulfilled, frosted as it is with speculoos and capped with a cookie.

I’m told that this is Sonja’s most premium cupcake to date (SRP) P135, and I’m inviting you to enjoy this with me.

Upon purchasing a copy of Dessert Comes First: The Book, present the official receipt (OR) at any Cupcakes by Sonja store (Serendra and Glorietta) and get a 15% discount on a box of 6 Dessert Comes First Cupcakes.

*(Discount only applies to half a dozen of this particular cupcake and not to individual cupcakes).

What a terrific way to kickstart the weekend! Celebrate the release of my book and the 7th anniversary of Cupcakes by Sonja on Sunday, September 8, by trying the Dessert Comes First Cupcake. See you at the stores!

Today’s the day! Dessert Comes First: The Book is now available at all Fully Booked stores. Thanks so much to those who have messaged/emailed/shouted out/called/tagged that they’re on their way to the stores to get their copy. Am immensely grateful. Hoping you can get a copy of my book and let me know what you think.

And when you buy the book, don’t forget to get your coupon from the cashier so that you can try The Lori sundae from BONO Gelato.

Meanwhile, here’s a look at some fascinating towers of my book constructed by the people of Fully Booked.

I have been writing about food for almost 15 years but this is the first time that a dessert has been named after me. What an indescribable thrill!

With the release of my book just two days away, I’m infinitely grateful to my friends in the food industry who are contributing their talents to celebrate such a momentous occasion with me. Rea Gomez-Harrow and Zarah Manikan, the terrific people of BONO Gelato, have created a special sundae for me called The Lori, a sundae that finds inspiration from one of the recipes in my book.

A dulce de leche gelato is afire with caramel notes and flambéed bananas. Chocolate syrup streaks and lavishes, a smooth and lush sauce, as a crumble of peanut brittle crackles. It is sweet and sensual, an imaginative rendering stoking cool desires.

Mmm… ooh, yeah…

I can’t suggest a better pairing than savoring this sundae while browsing through my book, and BONO Gelato offers an easy plan to do this:

When you purchase the Dessert Comes First book at any Fully Booked store, you’ll receive a specially-marked coupon at the Cashier counter.

Present the coupon at BONO Gelato stores and you’re entitled to The Lori Sundae for P150 instead of its original price of P180.

Couldn’t be any easier! Or more sublime.

I hope you’ll buy a copy of my book and then head over to BONO Gelato to try The Lori. I adore this sundae, as is evident in my photo in the poster. Can’t fake that expression.

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The Lori Available for a limited time starting September 5, 2013 concurrent with the release of Dessert Comes First: The Book. At BONO Gelato stores in SM Makati and The Podium. On Facebook: BonoGelato On Twitter: BONOGelato On Instagram: BONOGelato

This upcoming event will be the Dessert Comes First celebration to end all other celebrations.

Well, that celebration is on September 21, 2013 – an event I call Dessert Comes First Fans’ Day because it’s dedicated to YOU, the readers of Dessert Comes First. This is a book signing and food bazaar, a fabulous meet & greet & eat, if you will.

Eight of these purveyors are part of the chefs that I’ve featured in my upcoming book.

Here they are and the dishes they will sample:

Chef Him Uy de Baron of Nomama: Wagyu Beef Cheek Ramen (recipe is included in my book) The Nala – a thick, lush brownie made with Malagos tsokolate The Suki – a Nutella-stuffed cookie Kitayama beef as used in Nomama: grilled flank steak and rib-eye (Uncooked Kitayama meat will be available for selling)

San Miguel Pure Foods whose chefs will serve the following tasty tidbits: Pigs in a Blanket (sausages encased in a variety of wraps – puff pastry, roti, and bacon) Sliders – mini brioche buns layered with an assortment of cold cuts Assorted sweet shooters (snazzy little sweets in a glass)

Sound good? Want a ticket? I wish I could invite everyone but because venue space dictates otherwise, I’ve chosen an alternative.

Here are the Event Registration guidelines: 1. Registration begins at 10:00 am on Saturday, September 21, 2013 at the Atrium of Fully Booked High Street. FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED. Only the first 200 registrants are entitled to free entrance and free food samples. Customers who wish to avail of the free food samples and/or have their book signed by Lori Baltazar must register before the book-signing event.

2. To register, customers must present their purchased copy of Dessert Comes First and the official receipt.

3. Each registered customer will be issued a numbered stub which must be presented at the entrance gate. Only one (1) numbered stub per person. Numbered stubs will be limited to 200 only.

4. Customers without numbered stubs are welcome to attend the food bazaar and/or have their book signed by Lori Baltazar. A minimal fee of P100 only will be charged for entrance.

5. The food bazaar begins at 2:00 pm and the book signing at 3:00 pm.

Beginning today, August 28, 2013, posters with these guidelines are already displayed at all Fully Booked stores.

I’m thrilled to meet every one of you and it would be my honor to sign your copy of my book! This is just the beginning of my surprises for you because after all, Dessert Comes First has made the leap from blog…

2. What fabulous red lipstick! What is it?Answer: Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella. This is my red lipstick of choice and what I wear when I want to make a statement without having to say (or write!) a single word.

And the question I’ve been asked most often since I revealed my book’s cover:

1. Are those really your lips?Answer: Yes. 100% natural, no Botox and no Photoshop.

I’m amused but largely flattered by the questions above. Whether it be my lipstick or my lips, they’re a good segue to this behind-the-scenes (BTS) video of the making of my book. You’ll get to see which 10 chefs are featured, have a firsthand look at photos and pages from the book itself in between glimpses of me being alternately serious and kooky. The entire video is bound by snippets of conversation where I talk about the happiness and hardships that went into producing the book, an immense undertaking that I was convinced at one point, “would be the death of me.” Truly.

The video will stream in HD from this website but if you’d like a larger screen and more viewing options, click here.

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Dessert Comes First, A book by Lori Baltazar Exclusively available at all Fully Booked stores. September 5, 2013.